Lift Up Your Eyes

It's been quite a while since I last posted but, as I contemplated our day, as a church family, there was something that prompted me to record my thoughts.

New Connection Groups

This morning, we began our fall 2025 Connection Groups and, instead of having groups based upon age, etc. we are offering, this fall, three different Connection Groups that all teens and adults can choose from.

• Mrs. Kim Moon is teaching a Bible study - to ladies - entitled, "What's On Your Mind?" (The power and the importance of the mind cannot be overstated. It is imperative that, as Christians, we take control of the thoughts that go through our minds.)

• Mr. Kevin Conner is teaching a Bible study entitled, "Truths Every Christian Should Know."

• Mr. Jon Griffeth is teaching a Bible study entitled, "The Christian Home."

These Connection Groups have two purposes in mind: 1) Making friends and 2) Strengthening our faith. If you would like to know more about these Connection Groups, click here. We'd love to see you next Sunday at 9:45 AM.

This Mission Field Has Come to Us

This morning, because I am not currently teaching one of the Connection Groups, I took the opportunity to greet individuals and make sure they knew where they were going.

Once Connection Groups started, I went "AWOL" for a little while. I walked across Carolina Place Parkway and went into the Desi District, an Indian restaurant and grocery, that has been opened for about a year.

As I walked through the store and introduced myself to a couple of the employees, it fully "hit me" that the mission field has come to us! But, the bigger issue is a question, "How can we effectively reach this mission field that has literally come to our doorstep?"

We need a missionary that would come to Charlotte and South Charlotte Baptist Church and help us to reach these people for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (On that note, we need a missionary to come to SCBC to help us reach the Hispanic community and the Muslim community.)

South Charlotte is no longer a part of the "Bible Belt;" it is now part of the "10/40 Window," a term that was coined in the 1980's.

The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. The 10/40 Window is often called "The Resistant Belt" and includes the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.

https://joshuaproject.net/resources/articles/10_40_window

This certainly is a burden and one that I don't know fully how to address! While I realize that "opportunity does not equate to responsibility," I do know that God has placed South Charlotte Baptist Church in our current location for "such a time as this."

First Time Guests

We have first time guests just about ever Sunday morning. I know that God brings these guests to SCBC for a purpose and I do my best to find out why they visit. This morning...

One guest, that came for the first time last week, told me something that I've never had heard before. She told me that God used my preaching to confirm in her heart that she needed to go back to the church she had previously attended (instead of continuing to come to SCBC). Apparently, my preaching was not expository enough.

Another guest, Chris, that come today for the first time today, did not, to my knowledge, fill out a Connection Card and I also, at the end of the service did not get a chance to speak with him and to "urge" him to fill one out. (I was busy talking with the previous guest as she told me she wasn't coming back!) Anyway, when I met Chris before the service started, and I asked him what had brought him to SCBC, he told me that he was Catholic. He didn't seem too friendly but I'm thankful that he attended. Although my message wasn't a "Gospel" message, it still did include the Gospel. Pray that Chris would come to realize his need of the true Gospel message.

Master Clubs and 7 Star Teens

Master Clubs and 7 Star Teens began tonight. While I don't know how Master Clubs went tonight, I do know that we had a good group of 12 teens attend this evening. That's a good start and we (my wife and I) are thankful for that.

We began tonight by looking at "The Necessity of Witnessing." Pray that God would raise up our teens to be faithful servants of Jesus Christ and that they will be prepared to stand with purpose just like Daniel did!

While my wife and I love our teens, I do know that, ultimately, we need God to raise up a youth pastor who can fully dedicate themselves to helping our teens develop into 7 Star Teens. (Yes, 7 Star Teens does stand for something. Maybe I'll write a post about that at another time.)

Well, it's Sunday evening and we are settling in for the night! Pray for one another; encourage one another!